Container carrier

ABSTRACT

Formed wire ring carrier arrangements for retaining and transporting a plurality of containers.

United States Patent 1191 Poupitch' May 21, 1974 1 1 CONTAINER CARRIER [75] Inventor: Ougljesa Jules Poupitch, Lojolla, [56] References Cited Calif- UNITED STATES PATENTS Assignee; Illinois works Inc. Chicago 2,301,167 11/1942 Cosme 294/871 m 593,978 11/1897 24/81 BA 3,355,013 11/1967 Poupitch 206/65 C [22] Filed: Aug. 31, 1972 2,291,477 7/1942 Kolb et a1. 294/8722 2,803,487 8/1957 Dalton 294/8728 1 1 p o: 285,280 2,733,178 1/1956 Stevenson 206/DIG. 18 Related Application Data 3,247,958 4/1966 Dreher 206/65 R [63] 13L625 1971 Primary ExaminerWi11iam T. Dixson, Jr.

[52] US. Cl. 206/161, 294/872 [57] ABSTRACT [.51] Int. Cl 865d 85/62 Formed Wire ring carrier arrangements for retaining Field of Search..... 206/65 C, 65 E, 65 R, 65 B, 206/D1G. 18'; 294/872, 87.22, 87.26, 87.28; 24/81 BA; 220/234 and transporting a plurality of containers.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 1 CONTAINER CARRIER This is a division of application Ser. No. 131,625 now US. Pat. No. 3,713,684.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to carrier devices for multipackaging of containers, usually metal beverage containers which are generally commercially sold in multiples of six containers. The present invention contemplates formed wire rings, each of which is circumferentially discontinuous, as the basic elements of the carrier arrangements. In one embodiment the wire rings cooperate with a cover member and a plurality of containers to form a unitary package which is easily transported. In another embodiment the wire rings cooperate with a resilient coating and a plurality of containers to form a unitary package which is easily transported.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide carrier arrangements for a plurality of containers wherein circumferentially discontinuous formed wire rings are utilized as the basic elements of the carrier for a unitary package of the containers.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent upon a perusal of the following specification and drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a plan view of the underside of one embodiment of the invention with the lower portion of the containers removed to clearly show the formed wire rings;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the structure shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 viewed substantially along the line 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In both embodiments of the invention, the carrier structure is arranged for use with six cans 10, but it is contemplated that the carrier structure can be shaped for use with containers having other circumferential configurations, and in the embodiment of FIGS l-3 the carrier structure can be arranged for use with a pair of containers or any multiple thereof. In the embodiment of FIG. 4 the carrier structure can be arranged for use with a pair of containers or any convenient greater number. It will be obvious in the embodiment of FIG. 4 that if the number of containers is an odd number of three or more, the carrier arrangement will be such that each wire ring will be tangentially adjacent to more than one ring.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. l3 the wire rings are formed in pairs of two S-shaped sections'll. One section 11 may be viewed as a normal S-shape, while the other section is arranged as a reverse S-shape and positioned on the one section to substantially define a figure 8 with the top and the bottom of the figure 8 being open or discontinuous. The ends of each pair of sections 11 are bent into a hook shape, as may be seen in FIG. 1. This formation of the ends of the sections 11 provides a pair of opposed spaced-apart hooks for each wire ring. The wire rings formed by each pair of sections 11 are disposed about a pair of cans I0 immediately below the chime at the top of the cans 10.

The pairs of containers or cans 10 with the formed wire rings disposed thereabout are positioned in a row as viewed in FIG. 1. The member 12 is a means for holding the wire rings together as a unit and further holds the wire rings in circumferential confinement about and immediately below the chime of the cans 10. The member 12 in the present embodiment is formed as a substantially solid sheet of material to thereby further function as a dust cover for the tops of the cans 10. The member 12 may be formed of any suitable rigid or semi-rigid material such as, for example, cardboard or plastic. The longitudinal side marginal edges of the member 12 are provided with depending wall structures 13. The wall structures 13 may be formed as an integral part of the member 12.

The wall structures 13 are provided with open'keyhole slots or notches 14, one of which may be seen in FIG. 3. The slots 14 are positioned in the wall structures 13 at longitudinally spaced-apart positions corresponding to the spacing between the opposed hooks of adjacent wire rings. The member 12 is projected downwardly over the wire rings and the tops of the earns 10 so that the opposed hooks of the wire rings are snapped or otherwise received in the slots 14.

From the foregoing it may be seen that the member 12 will hold and carry all of the wire rings together as a unitary package. The member 12 will further, in holding the opposed hooks together, maintain the wire rings in circumferential confinement about the cans 10 to provide for retaining and transporting the cans together as a group. To aid in manually carrying the complete package, handle means comprising a pair of finger holds 15 are provided in the member 12. The finger holds 15 are formed by cutting a substantially semicircular section in the member l2 between each group of cans and bending or otherwise downwardly forming the cut semi-circular section as a tab to define the finger holds 15.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 4, a separate wire ring 20 is provided for each can 10. The wire rings 20 are discontinuous and placed circumferentially about the cans 10 below the upper chime. A resilient coating 21.is applied about the rings 20 and particularly over the discontinuous end portions to span those discontinuous end portions and encase them in the resilient coating 21. The resilient coating 21 in spanning the discontinuous portions of the wire rings 20 serves to hold the wire rings in circumferentialconfinement about the cans 10. The resilient coating 21 is further applied to the rings 20 at the tangential coopercan be held in close contact with the surface of the cans 10 if the wire rings 20 have any inherent spring bias tending to open them while the coating 21 is applied.

It is contemplated that the coating 21 can be any suitable well-known material which can be applied as a liquid or paste and will harden to a suitable inherent resiliency. The coating 21 further can be applied by any well-known means such as spraying, painting, or dipping the coating material. It is further contemplated that if convenient'or desirable, the coating 21 may extend about the wire rings 20 to an adhesive bond with the circumferential surface of the cans 10.

The present embodiments are the preferred embodiments, but it is to be understood that changes can be made in the present embodiments'by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the means comprising a resilient plastic coating spanning the discontinous portions between the opposed ends of said wire rings and encasing the opposed end portions of said rings linearly therealong at least to a circumferential extent of said rings to effectivelyhold said wire rings in circumferential confinement, and said resilient plastic coating further encasing and spanning linear portions of adjacent wire rings at least to a circumferential extent of said rings to effectively hold said adjacent wire rings together as a unit.

2. A package of a plurality of containers and a carrier, said carrier comprising a plurality of wire rings lying in a common plane, each of said wire rings being circumferentially discontinuous with the ends thereof directed in opposed relation to each other within the arc of curvature of said rings, means holding said wire rings together as a unit and holding each of said rings in circumferential confinement about one of said plurality of containers, said means comprising a resilient plastic coating spanning the discontinuous portions between the opposed ends of said wire rings and encasing the end portions of said rings linearly therealong at least to a circumferential extent of said rings to effectively hold each of said wire rings in circumferential confinement about one of said containers, said resilient plastic coating further encasing and spanning linear portions of adjacent wire rings at least to a circumferential extent of said rings to effectively hold said wire rings and said containers circumferentially confined together as a package.

3. A package as defined in claim 2, wherein said resilient plastic coating is additionally adhesively bonded to said containers. 

1. A carrier for a plurality of containers comprising a plurality of wire rings, each of said wire rings being circumferentially dIscontinuous with the ends thereof directed in opposed relation to each other within the arc of curvature of said rings, means holding said wire rings together in circumferential confinement and as a unit with said rings lying in a common plane, said means comprising a resilient plastic coating spanning the discontinous portions between the opposed ends of said wire rings and encasing the opposed end portions of said rings linearly therealong at least to a circumferential extent of said rings to effectively hold said wire rings in circumferential confinement, and said resilient plastic coating further encasing and spanning linear portions of adjacent wire rings at least to a circumferential extent of said rings to effectively hold said adjacent wire rings together as a unit.
 2. A package of a plurality of containers and a carrier, said carrier comprising a plurality of wire rings lying in a common plane, each of said wire rings being circumferentially discontinuous with the ends thereof directed in opposed relation to each other within the arc of curvature of said rings, means holding said wire rings together as a unit and holding each of said rings in circumferential confinement about one of said plurality of containers, said means comprising a resilient plastic coating spanning the discontinuous portions between the opposed ends of said wire rings and encasing the end portions of said rings linearly therealong at least to a circumferential extent of said rings to effectively hold each of said wire rings in circumferential confinement about one of said containers, said resilient plastic coating further encasing and spanning linear portions of adjacent wire rings at least to a circumferential extent of said rings to effectively hold said wire rings and said containers circumferentially confined together as a package.
 3. A package as defined in claim 2, wherein said resilient plastic coating is additionally adhesively bonded to said containers. 